Current Issues With Dr. Phillips

Feb. 15, 2006

We had a wonderful National IPTAY Meeting in Columbia on Feb. 2. It was extremely well attended. Across the board, we are excited about all of our programs at Clemson. We recognize that IPTAY is the lifeblood of our ability to play with the best in our conference as well as in the country. The attendance and spirit at the National Meeting signifies the excitement that we have for the future.

As (Sr. Assoc. Athletic Director for External Affairs) Bill D’Andrea stated at the meeting: championships start with scholarships. That is the first priority of IPTAY, to be able to fund the full allotment of scholarships allowable by the NCAA. Should we falter there, it significantly diminishes your opportunity to compete at the very highest level.

Patrick Sapp, a former football player at Clemson and an IPTAY scholarship recipient, spoke at the National Meeting about his experience at Clemson.

Patrick epitomizes what Clemson and IPTAY is about. He is a young man who was an outstanding player — both at Clemson and in the NFL. He has come back to Clemson to get his degree. He talked about what it has meant to him to come back and finish his college education. It is young people such as Patrick who underscore what IPTAY is all about.

There are benefits associated with an IPTAY contribution such as tickets and parking, but the absolute main benefit is knowing you are helping an individual — like Patrick Sapp — to fulfill his or her dreams and — in the process — become great members of our society.

Additionally, as we talked about in last week’s Orange And White, Vickery Hall is a huge component of our future success because of the change in the academic environment and the new curriculum structure. It is a much different environment than that of the early 1990s and the last three years. Vickery Hall continues to play a pivotal role in our ability to successfully adapt.

When feasible, IPTAY has also helped with capital projects that have allowed us to continue to develop infrastructure and create the kind of quality environment we want for our student-athletes. It also has helped us create facilities that show recruits and parents that we are committed to competing at the highest level.

We are very grateful to our IPTAY donors, the IPTAY Board of Directors and the IPTAY Representatives who put in many volunteer hours to help us be as good we can possibly be.